Tejay van Garderen of BMC Racing Team Maintains Lead with Two Days of Competitive Racing Ahead

With the riders reaching speeds of up to 42 mph (68kmph), Stage 5 of the 2012 USA Pro Challenge came to an exciting conclusion with Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda) taking the win to the cheers of huge crowds. He was followed close behind by Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing Team) in second and Alessandro Bazzana (Team Type 1-SANOFI) in third. In what is still a very close race for the Exergy Leader Jersey, Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team) maintained his lead heading into the penultimate day of racing.

"The crowds have been unbelievable," said van Garderen. "It's really incredible how much the USA Pro Challenge has grown since last year."

The riders took off from Breckenridge on a 117.9m/189.7 km route that would include one Cat. 1 Nissan King of the Mountains competition at Hoosier Pass (11,541 ft.) and two Waste Management Sprints at Fairplay and Woodland Park on their way to the finish in downtown Colorado Springs that would include three circuit laps.

George Hincapie leading Team BMC

With the KOM coming only 10.1 miles into the stage, the riders started out aggressively launching an attack almost immediately after heading out of the neutral section. With nine riders in the break, Francisco Jarley Colorado Hernandez (COL) of EPM-UNE crossed the line at the top of Hoosier Pass first to take max points, followed closely by Sergey Firsanov (RusVelo) and Biao Liu (Champion System Pro Cycling Team).

With seven riders remaining in the break heading down from the KOM, including Firsanov, Liu, Oliver Zaugg (RadioShack-Nissan-Trek), Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale), Ivan Santaromita (BMC Racing Team), Carter Jones (Bissell Pro Cycling) and Yevgeniy Nepomnyachshiy (Astana Pro Team), they quickly approached the first sprint of the day. Crossing the line first in Fairplay was Firsanov, followed by Zaugg in second and Liu in third.

With the gap reaching more than five minutes at times, the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team and Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda riders were doing a lot of the work at the front of the peloton in an effort to close the gap. And to the cheers of huge crowds lining the second sprint in Woodland Park, the riders posted similar results to the first sprint with Firsanov in first, followed by Liu and Jones.

Upon reaching majestic Garden of the Gods, Jones launched an attack, but was reeled back in quickly by Nibali who, in turn, launched a counter-attack and was soon joined by Zaugg and Firsanov. As the riders reached downtown Colorado Springs, the rest of the breakaway was absorbed by the peloton leaving only the three leaders out in front, but with average speeds on the circuits reaching 30 mph, the group was soon altogether again. And in an all-out sprint to the finish, Farrar took home the stage win, his second of the 2012 race.

"This was the day I had always marked, and the team did a lot of work to make sure that it all worked out," said Farrar. "We spent a lot of energy today that we could've conserved, but I'm thankful they put their faith in me to win."

"The level of racing we have been seeing in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge over the past couple of days is phenomenal," said Shawn Hunter, CEO of the USA Pro Challenge. "The riders are getting a chance to really showcase their skills and the fans throughout the State of Colorado have been unbelievably supportive and enthusiastic in response. We're returning to a city that had incredible crowds in the inaugural year – Golden – and we all know the significance of Flagstaff Mountain, so tomorrow should be a great day of racing."

On his Stage 5 win:"I was really motivated because I was racing for my team's hometown. Today was the one day that I was almost positive there would be a sprint. Stage 1 was a bonus. This was the day I had always marked, and the team did a lot of work to make sure that it all worked out. We spent a lot of energy today that we could've conserved, but I'm thankful they put their faith in me to win."

On how he stays focused:"It's a very gradual process. I started racing when I was 12. Sometimes those steps seem small and frustrating, but eventually you get to this level. That's the only way you can really think about it."

On his sprint:"I was in a good spot. Thought I'd come up to a 100 meter spot. It was a chaotic sprint, because the roads are so big. It was very hard for my team to organize, but UnitedHealthcare did a good job. With the roads so big, it always swarms and I got boxed in around 300, but I managed to find a little break in the road."

On Stage 6:"Tomorrow will be the hardest stage. It's easy to focus on Christian and Tejay, but there are about 25-30 guys who are very close. I expect a lot of fireworks. Boulder is one of the hotbeds of cycling in America, so everyone is going to want to put on a show. I want to help Christian, so whatever they want me to do, I'm there."

On his past injuries and how he's riding:"I think I'm riding well. Like I said, with Stage 1, even if it did come to a sprint, I wasn't confident. The fact that I won, it show's I'm in good form. If you come off the Tour de France healthy, you're good. Obviously the 2012 season has been frustrating for me; crashed more in the past 6-12 months than I have in the last few years. But I had some time to rest up, so now everything is back on track."

On if he's participating in Worlds:"It has not officially been announced, but I hope I'm doing Worlds. It's not a course for me, but I've already talked to Mike Sayers (team director) and we have a few riders who can do well there. I want to do everything I can to help put an American on the podium, and think I can do a good job of protecting that person. I'm motivated because I think we have a few guys who can really do big things there."

Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team)

On Stage 5 and the USA Pro Challenge:"The crowds have been unbelievable. It's really incredible how much the USA Pro Challenge has grown since last year. Today's day was a bit less stressful because it was bunch sprints; sort of a rest day for GC guys. We tried to be safe, and we made it through pretty good."

On the weather and his strategy:"You just try not to touch the wind, and stay as covered as you can. Stay with your teammates and make sure they keep you together. Every little bit of energy you save today is more tomorrow."

On the Exergy Leader Jersey and Christian:"No, I haven't talked to Christian. I wasn't focused on the jersey. Christian wasn't on my mind. I was focused on staying on the bike, and being present."

On Stage 6"Tomorrow is going to be really hard. People keep forgetting about Levi. I think that's a mistake. Out of Tom and Christian, he's the better time trialist and the better climber. He's only eight seconds behind. I'm really worried about him. Obviously I know Christian's in good form, but it's not just a game of me vs. Christian. It's going to be hard because it's a climb, but it's going to be tactical. I can follow one guy, not three. We'll see how it plays out."

On his expectations for the Stage 7 time trial:"Last year was different because it was an uphill time trial. This is a flatter, lower elevation. I've done so many now that I think I finally have a system dialed in, where I do the same thing every time. So far this year I haven't had a bad one, and I don't think I'll have one on Sunday."

Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale)

On his expectations:"My main goal is to win a stage. I came in after the Tour de France a little tired and didn't know how I'd feel. I feel a little better every day, but today is a day for Damiano Caruso, though I thought I'd give it a go."

On racing in Colorado:"In Colorado people are surprisingly excited for the spirit of cycling, and I want to show respect for that. If I can win a stage, that's a prestigious result."

Hugo Houle Fifth in Colorado

Hugo Houle of Team SpiderTech powered by C10 showed he has a mean sprint when he gets the chance, finishing fifth in Stage 5 of the USA Pro Challenge in Colorado Springs on Friday.

In a race that has thrown up more than its fair share of surprises in the first four days, for once the race developed as expected. The 189.7 kilometre course started in Breckenridge with a 16 kilometre climb, but then headed downhill all the way to the finish, favouring a group sprint.

Like the day before, an early breakaway got away on the opening climb and the 11 riders gained as much as 5:40, but the BMC Racing Team of race leader Tejay Van Garderen worked hard to keep them in check. In wet, windy conditions, and with the temperature dipping as low as 11C, the gap was down to just 1:40 as the race hit the final descent from Woodland Park and, with 15 kilometres to go, just three riders were hanging onto a slender lead.

The stage finished with three, 3.8 kilometre circuits in downtown Colorado Springs - ideal for a field sprint. The break was caught at two laps to go and Tyler Farrar rewarded a strong leadout by his Garmin-Sharp teammates with his second stage win of this year’s USA Pro Challenge, while Houle battled through the field to finish fifth.

"I was not in the best position as I fought to take Tyler's wheel, so I had to jump hard from about 350 metres," said Houle. "I was going so fast when I got around two Optum riders in front of me - I was so close!"